


Mass Effect: The Fire After The Fight

by TheLovelyLadyAuthor



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Sex, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reunion Sex, Reunions, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 21:08:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19411441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLovelyLadyAuthor/pseuds/TheLovelyLadyAuthor
Summary: After the war, and Shepard's death, Garrus is a mess. The Normandy just isn't the same without her. Garrus isn't the same without her. But, unexpectedly, it comes to light that some unknown forces saved Shepard's life. The same forces may be the ones behind the Reaper threat in the first place.





	1. Reminiscent

The Normandy was silent. More silent than usual. Garrus stared quietly at the display of plaques that listed the lives lost on the Normandy. The war was over. Though he couldn’t make himself feel even the slightest bit pf happiness about it.

The only reason that the war was over was because Shepard had sacrificed herself to stop it. No one really knew what had happened inside the Citadel all those months ago. But, after the Crucible had activated it had crumbled, the majority of it falling over London.

He knew Shepard was dead. Though they hadn’t found her body in the rubble, as searching through it wasn’t really anyone’s priority, and no one had heard a word from her, so they knew and silently accepted that she was gone.

What came as a surprise to Garrus was when it was revealed that Shepard had made a small will before they went on their final mission, as if she knew that she wasn’t going to make it. In the will she had left the Normandy and her position as Commanding Officer to Garrus Vakarian.

Garrus hadn’t known what to think of it at the time. He was certain the Alliance wouldn’t allow it, but, they seemed to tolerate it, probably due to the fact that Shepard had saved the galaxy and they wanted the honour her last wishes.

Most of the crew stayed with him, though some of them came and went, like Tali, who, along with helping the Normandy crew repair and rebuild across the galaxy, was also helping her people migrate back to Rannoch.

Slowly, over the past few months since the end of the war, everything had been getting back into place. What was remaining of the Citadel had been moved back to Citadel Space, and the keepers, with the help of many volunteers, were repairing it. Teams of workers had begun repairs on the Mass Relays and quite a few were already up and functioning. The galaxy was pulling itself together by the threads, every race working together without qualms, something Shepard would be so proud of.

Of course, it was because of her that all this was possible. Without the influence that she had on the galaxy it would have been in ruins, races at war against each other in the middle of an even larger fight.

The galaxy was at peace, and it was all thanks to her. What did she get in return? Left for dead upon a giant self-destructing weapon, bloody and broken, without so much as a ‘thank you’.

Garrus closed his eyes, his mandibles twitching slightly as he rested his forehead against the cold metal of the plaque that held her name.

He thought back to Shepard, something that pained him but he couldn’t help but do. He thought of everything he admired about her from the day they first met, before he even realized he was in love with her.

The way the sun reflected off her hair, highlighting the tones of startling red that shone like fire. The way her wide, emerald eyes sparkled as they looked up at the stars that dotted the skies of Agebinium, the planet they’d visited in the first year they’d met.

She was caring and compassionate, but, when it came to it, she could pull the trigger on an enemy and not even flinch. He admired that about her. She was the kindest soul he’d ever come across, but, everyone knew never to get on her bad side.

“Garrus…?”

He opened his eyes and turned, finding Tali standing behind him, hands held together in front of her, watching him carefully through the tinted glass that protected her face. Her suit was darker shades of purple and blue than Garrus was accustomed to, but, he supposed it was better than the black one she’d been wearing for a long while after Shepard had passed.

“What is it, Tali?” Garrus spoke quietly, his voice void of emotion. Tali swallowed thickly behind her mask, she knew he was devastated, she just couldn’t figure out what to say to him to make him feel any better.

“We’re approaching Earth. Should be there within a few hours. They’re very grateful that we’re coming to help with repairs,” Tali spoke softly, watching the way Garrus nodded unemotionally in response. “Are… are you alright?”

He sighed, turning away from her to set his steely blue eyes back on the plaque that read her name. He wasn’t alright. He knew that she knew that. He didn’t understand the reason behind even considering asking such a question.

“Garrus… tell me what’s bothering you. Maybe I could help…” Tali offered meekly. She used to be rather good friends with Garrus, but, ever since Shepard died and he took up her post as Commanding Officer, he had honestly been scaring her a bit.

Garrus suppressed another sigh, his mandibles flexing in irritation, before he took a deep breath. He knew Tali was only trying to help. Perhaps she, having been one of Shepard’s best friends, could offer some insight.

“I’ve just been thinking lately,” He began, turning around to face Tali, who’s mask hid her surprise that he was even responding to her at all. “I feel like I never really knew Shepard. We got so little time together, I don’t know what she liked to do in her free time, I don’t know what jokes really made her laugh, I don’t know her past or even what really kept her up at night other than the war. I just wish I could have known her better in the time we got.”

Tali’s heart throbbed a little, not just at his words but at the way his eyes fell, and at the pain that filled them when he spoke of her.

Reaching out, she tentatively placed a hand on his arm in an attempt to be comforting.

“None of us really knew Shepard like that, she wasn’t very open to talking about herself or her past, you know that.”

“Yes, I know. I just figured, given time, she would have confided in me. Now, I’m not going to get the chance to be someone she could seek comfort from,” He shook his head at his own words, before turning and looking down at her. “Thanks for trying, Tali. I know you meant well.”

Tali nodded apprehensively, trying to decide whether to try a little harder or just let him go. Ultimately she decided on the latter.

“Alright, Garrus. Go get some rest. You look exhausted.”

“Right, sure. Will do.” Garrus nodded, hoping she’d just leave him to think. Tali seemed to get the message and turned, stepping into the elevator. He watched as the doors slid shut before he sighed and turned back to face the plaque.

He was quiet for a few moments, just admiring the oddly pleasing way her name looked in writing, before he decided it might be beneficial to take Tali’s advice.

Turning, he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the highest level, the private quarters of the captain. Seeing as that was him now, he had moved up there, though, in his mind it felt wrong.

That room belonged to Shepard, the Normandy belonged to Shepard, the crew was her crew, not his. But, like the Alliance, he wanted to honour her last wishes, so he stayed.

Stepping out of the elevator, he walked into the room, walking past the tank that held Shepard’s fish, and the displays in the office area that housed her small collection of model ships.

He supposed that was something he knew about her, she had a hobby of collecting things. Fish, model ships, odd little trinkets that sat in the room. He’d never dare move anything around, he liked to preserve the feeling of her that was housed in the small space.

Slumping down into the bed, Garrus closed his eyes before frowning. Something spiked was resting just below the pillow, poking at him.

Propping himself up, he turned and grabbed at whatever it was, holding it up to examine.

A black feather.

Frowning, Garrus shook his head and set it down on the bedside table, deciding he’d figure out where it came from after he’d had some rest.

Sinking back into the soft blankets once more, he closed his eyes, and felt a small stir of contentedness rise in his chest.

After all this time, it still smelt like her.


	2. Another Gift From Shepard

The Normandy and her crew had been down on Earth for a few days now. It was a hard job cleaning up after the war, but, no one complained. It was over, The war was done, the Reapers dead, the galaxy saved, and no immediate threat in the foreseeable future.

Considering all of this, Garrus hated the fact that he didn’t feel pleased. He knew why, so he didn’t complain and just helped out with repairs as much as he could.

“Here, Garrus, drink.”

He looked up, slightly surprised, to find Liara holding a water canister out to him with an expectant look on her face. Garrus considered her request for a moment before realizing he was feeling rather dehydrated and gladly took it from her.

She was quiet while he drank, he could tell by the expression on her face that she wanted to ask him something, probably about how he was feeling or something akin to that. Once he was finished, he held the canister out to her, which she took.

“Guess I’ll have to refill this.” She smirked slightly, shaking it only to hear there was barely a drop left inside.

“Sorry.” Garrus mumbled, stretching slightly to relieve his aching back.

“No, it’s fine. It’s easier to refill a water canister than it is to drag you back to the Normandy if you passed out from heat exhaustion,” She smiled at him, to which Garrus nodded in agreement. “How are you feeling today, Garrus?”

He looked away and back to the heavy chunks of rubble and debris that littered the streets of London. Her question was basic, and the way she asked it didn’t sound like she was referring to how he was feeling about Shepard, so he supposed he could give her an answer.

“I’m fine. Rather tired and warm. But that’s about it.”

“I think we’re all tired and warm, but, it’s worth it. It makes me very happy to see the galaxy working together to repair itself like this. We’ve done some surprising things, and might continue to do them.” Liara spoke thoughtfully, smiling slightly at her words.

“You’re thinking of something specific.” Garrus observed, looking over at her slightly curiously, watching as she nodded, smiling at him.

“Yes. I was wondering if the Quarians will try to get the Geth activated again. Since we reactivated EDI I’m sure it’s possible to get the Geth back online. I was honestly very surprised when we got her reactivated. But, it’s really nice to have her back on board.”

“Yeah, I suppose it is. Joker’s really happy about it. He was pretty lucky to get her back.”

Liara nodded at his words, hesitating slightly, before remembering that while she had more experience now with interacting with other species, she still wasn’t quite sure how to comfort them, and didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.

Deciding not to say anything more, Liara looked up at the sky, which was slowly and progressively darkening.

“We’ll be heading back to the Normandy right away. Can’t do much in the dark. You should get some rest.” Liara nodded, before turning and walking off when Garrus offered no reply.

Garrus slumped down onto a large piece of crumbled building. Stretching his legs out, he winced momentarily at how stiff they’d become from being on them all day.

Closing his eyes, he decided he was going to rest for a moment before making his way back.

“Uhm, excuse me, are you uh… Garrus Vakarian?”

He opened his eyes to find a young human in front of him, with two objects on the ground beside him. One just seemed like a large box but the other was more unusual, and it had a small blanket covering it. He hadn’t seen a box like it before.

“Yes, that would be me. Can I help you with something?” Garrus questioned calmly.

“Yeah, these are for you. I was supposed to bring them to your ship, but, when I got there, your… VI, I’m guessing, told me you weren’t there and said I could find you here.”

“Who are they from?” Garrus inquired with a frown, looking down at the two containers and wondering who would possibly be sending him something.

“I don’t know, sir, I just do our store’s delivery. There is a note but I didn’t read it.” The young man explained, causing Garrus to sigh lightly.

“Alright, just bring it back to the Normandy, I’ll bring it inside when I get back.”

“Uh, well, the contents shouldn’t really be left outside in the heat or be left alone…”

“Fine, alright,” Garrus took a deep breath, getting a little frustrated. “Take them back to the Normandy. I’ll tell my crew where I’m going and meet you there.”

“Uh, okay. Yes, sir.”

Within fifteen minutes Garrus had told Liara where he was off to and was approaching the Normandy where the was sitting idle alongside a number of other ships belonging to repair volunteers.

When he’d reached the ship he stopped in front of the young man, who was waiting patiently, the packages back on the ground near his feet.

“Alright, can I just bring them inside or is there something you need from me?” Garrus questioned tiredly, to which the boy pulled out a datapad.

“Yeah you can just bring them inside. That one is just supplies, the other one is the important one,” The man informed him, pointing to the box first and then to the odd container. “Cost and delivery fees have already been paid for, all I need is for you to sign here.”

Garrus nodded his head and took the datapad from the man, signing along the line before handing it back and kneeling down in front of the odd container. He needed to check it before entering the Normandy in case it was something dangerous.

Pulling the blanket away, Garrus blinked at the small creature staring up at him with large green eyes through the thin metal bars on the front of the container. Whatever it was let out a soft ‘meow’ sound that caused Garrus to recoil a bit.

“What,” Garrus began, tearing his eyes away from the thing and raising them to look at the young man. “Is that?”

“That would be a cat, sir.”

“What is a cat?”

“Cats are small animals native to Earth, common in a good amount of households. Though technically that is a kitten, as its only a few months old.”

Garrus looked back at the small animal through the bars and stared at it thoughtfully for a moment.

“So… it’s some kind of attack animal?”

“Er… no, sir. Not really. Unless you want it to attack birds and small rodents.”

“I don’t understand… what’s it good for then?”

“Humans keep them for companions, like dogs. They’re decent company, I think. I’ve got two at home. There’s a guidebook included in the supplies, I’m guessing whoever sent this to you knew that you’d never seen one before.”

Garrus stood up and ran a hand down his face. He never truly understood human customs and if he really tried to understand it on his own it made his head hurt. He’d ask Joker about it later.

“Okay, well, thank you… I’ll take it inside now.”

“Right. Have a good evening, sir.” The young man nodded and turned, walking off, while Garrus hesitated before making his way inside the Normandy.

Silently he made his way up to the Captain’s Quarters and set the container down on the bed, while placing the other box on the floor. Garrus stared at the creature through the bars for a moment, debating over whether or not to let it out.

Slowly, he reached over and unlatched the container, letting the small metal gate to swing open, before he ducked down on the side of the bed, seeking cover. What if it attacked him? He didn’t know anything about it, it might try to eat him.

He didn’t hear any sound for a few moments, and he found himself wondering if it had exited the container at all.

Tentatively, he peeked his head up over the side of the bed, coming face to face with the small, fluffy, reddish-brown creature, which immediately greeted him with a lick on his nose.

Jumping back, startled, Garrus fell onto his back on the floor in shock. The cat simply meowed at him and jumped down from the bed and onto his chest, nuzzling against him.

Garrus didn’t dare move, just stared with wide eyes at the small animal, that looked up at him and let out another soft 'mew’.

His eyes landed on the stark white envelope that was tucked into the cat’s dark green collar, which matched the animal’s eyes. Slowly, he reached up and grasped the envelope and pulled it out of the collar, before shifting slightly so the kitten slid off of his chest and onto the floor.

Quickly, before it could sit on him again, Garrus climbed to his feet and sat down on the bed. The cat immediately followed suit, jumping up onto the bed and settling down on his lap, which made Garrus hesitate before he decided he could live with that.

He looked down at the animal for a moment before turning to the envelope and opening it, pulling out the folded paper inside and beginning to read it.

 _Garrus,_  
_If you’re reading this than obviously I didn’t make it out of the Crucible alive._  
 _There is so much I want to say to you, but, I don’t really know how to put it into words. I was never really good with that sort of thing._  
 _I just want you to know what there was nothing I wanted more than to make it back to see you again, but, the fate of the entire galaxy rested on me and I couldn’t just stand by and let go of everything we’d worked for._  
 _I hope you understand and don’t hate me too much for not following your orders and coming back to you._  
 _Knowing that I might not make it, I thought up this little plan as a gift for you. I know you don’t know a lot about Earth customs but cats and dogs are the most traditional pets humans can have. I thought over getting you a dog but the thought of you paired with a tiny kitten made the choice rather easy._  
 _I don’t really know where the idea came from, but, I figured you might be rather lonely after I was gone, and knew that a companion animal might help you feel better about what happened._  
 _I went and picked out this cat a couple of days before we planned to head to Earth to stop the Reaper invasion, when I really started thinking about the odds of my survival. I hope you like her, something about her just stood out to me and I was certain you’d love her._  
 _Perhaps you could name her Calib? You know, short for Calibrations! I remember thinking you loved doing those more than you loved doing me._  
 _Don’t take offense in that. As EDI would put it; 'that is a joke’. I know you loved me, as I loved you, and I hope you can live a good life when I’m gone. I know you’ll do great at anything you decide to do, be it staying as Commanding Officer of the Normandy or going back to pissing off merc bosses on Omega._  
 _How’s the Normandy running under you command, by the way? Probably smoother than she ever ran under me, ha ha, you’re a much better leader than I am, in my opinion at least._  
 _I hope you’re doing okay. There’s so much more I want to say to you, but, I don’t want to make it any harder on you to let go. Just know that I love you, and when your time comes, if you still want me, I’ll be waiting for you in that bar._  
 _Take care of the Normandy, her crew, and her new pet. Hopefully I’ll see you again one day._  
 _\- Shepard_

Garrus stared at the page for a long while, his eyes stinging with tears. The small animal on his lap looked up at him and gave a small, comforting 'mew’, before nuzzling closer to him.

After a moment, he let out a watery chuckle, wiping his eyes before lowering his hand to place it on the animals head, before, for some reason, she began to vibrate and emit a soft buzzing noise.

She looked content though, so Garrus assumed the animals did that when they were happy.

“Calib, huh? Hm, no, I don’t think that suits you.” Garrus mused softly, to which the cat looked up at him with bright green eyes.

Garrus paused. Those eyes… they were so close to the remarkable green eyes that belonged to Shepard… and the cat’s fluffy fur was a soft brown red colour that lit up under light just like Shepard’s hair did.

He knew instantly, without a doubt, what he was going to call her. Setting aside the note, he picked the cat up under her front legs and held her up to his face, to which she promptly licked his nose once more.

“Well, Tiny Shepard, welcome to the Normandy.”


End file.
